


Homebound

by Shaelynn2013



Category: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27919975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaelynn2013/pseuds/Shaelynn2013
Summary: Years after Chihiro returns home, she forgets everything, thinking it was all a dream. But it wasn't a dream. Will she be able to return to the place she called home and find the love she lost?
Relationships: Haku | Nigihayami Kohakunushi/Ogino Chihiro
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Authors note: i do not own spirited away or the characters !

Chapter 1

Chihiro new that coming back home that day twelve years ago would feel like this. Chihiro felt lost when she got home, like a piece of her was missing. And it was, in all honesty. She missed Rin and Granny, even Yubaba made Kami (the spirit world) feel like home. Above all, she missed Haku, the boy that unintentionally wormed his way into her heart. She missed him most of all. She would dream about them, about reuniting with them. But over the years, those dreams faded. Eventually Chihiro began to feel like it was all a dream. Sadly that didn’t make the incomplete feeling go away. It almost seemed to intensify it more than anything.  
She didn’t feel at home any longer, and could not figure out how to return, as the entrance had seemingly closed up for good. In the first few years, she tried anything she could, even crossing the doorway and sleeping while it changed to nightime. But nothing resulted. Why couldn’t she go back? What happened to the doorway? After a time, Chihiro gave up. If the doorway was not going to open, then why try and find it? Now Chihiro was in college and had seemed to give up on Kami.  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Chihiro gave a long exasperated sigh. She did not want to get out of bed. She had not slept well, having had a bad dream. She didn’t remember much if it, just hat there was a white dragon, weeping. For some reason the feeling of hurt and shame that came from that dream was immense, and Chihiro could not quite figure out why the feelings were so intense. With a decisive nod she grabbed her dream journal and wrote it down. The white dragon was prominent in a lot of her dreams and she didn’t understand why. It’s been like that since she was eleven years old. Earlier possibly. Why did she dream of him so much? Chihiro shook her head and gave another sigh.  


"One of these days, the dreams will stop. Or at least no longer be a burden.”  


After an hour Chihiro was dressed and ready to go. Her long hair was tied back with the blue hair tie that she couldn’t make herself through away. It felt like some kind of safety blanket. Skinny jeans, a maroon tanktop and converse tied everything together. The college students signature ‘I don’t give a fuck’ outfit.  
The only class she had for the day was a junk mythologies class she had to take because the other class she needed was full. A lot of the time she dozed off in class, but while she didn’t know it yet, that class would change the course of her life.  


Chihiro was kind of a loner at school, something she didn’t mind. The other students tended to leave her alone and she liked it that way. She never seemed to have anything in common with them. They didn’t shun her per say, but they didn’t go out of their way to make her one of them. That was ok, she never quite felt at home not matter where she was, so her desire to make friends was practically nonexistent. In class, she took the middle seat in the back row, away from the other students, and a good enough distance from the front, that if she nodded off, she wouldn’t be caught.  


A few students trickled in, one of which sat down next to Chihiro. A throat cleared startling her out of her thoughts. Sitting next to her was a really beautiful girl. She had a thin elegant face and beautiful almond eyes, a dark brown almost black in color. Her hair was very long, reaching her butt, tied back with a simple tie. She wore a black maxi skirt and an off red crop top that showed a little of her midriff. She gave Chihiro a sheepish smile, that for some reason made Chihiro feel sad and longing and yet like something had clicked into place. It was odd. A feeling she purposely ignored. “I hope you don’t mind, I left my textbook at home today. 

Can I maybe share yours?”  


Chihiro shook her head, clearing the jumbled thoughts in her mind. Has she met this girl before. She couldn’t shake the feeling. “I don’t mind. You can use it today if you want. I don’t tend to use it in class honestly.”  


The girls mouth opened and she giggled. “Chihiro! I didn’t take you for a slacker.” She let out a loud laugh and opened the book to the pages posted on the board. But what was on the pages caught Chihiro’s attention. A dragon flew across a pasture, long and snakelike. Like the one in her dreams, though this one was a grass green, rather than the snow white she preferred.  


“Not as beautiful.” Chihiro muttered under her breath.  


“Of course it’s not. No dragon will ever be quite as beautiful.” Chihiro frowned. Had the girl heard her? That was embarrassing. Blushing she dropped her head and hid her eyes. “Hey, don’t hide from me. There is nothing to be ashamed about. Everyone has a favorite of something.”  


Feelings were flying around in chihiros head, the thoughts, and feelings confusing. This girl was odd. But she spoke like she new Chihiro. But that’s not possible. Chihiro would have remembered seeing her in this class. But at the same time, that feeling of not having a home, seemed to have diminished just the barest hint. 

But why? Who was this girl, to make feelings like this rise on a first meeting?  


The teacher at the front cleared his throat. "Today we will be learning about river spirits and what makes them important. Can anyone tell me? He waited for a second, but didn’t need to wait long. The girl next to me began to speak.  


“River spirits keep the mainland fed. A river spirit is one of the few things that keep grass green, and living creatures fed. Without the river spirit, the river would not exist, therefore animals and people would not have fish to eat, or water to drink. A river spirit is also very important due to the gifts the receive in order to protect their river. It is common for most river spirits in Mythologies to be able to change form and possess many other abilities in order to keep protection.” She settled back, as if she had done what she had come to do.  


The teacher stayed silent for a second. He was impressed, and so was Chihoiro. But why did all this sound like information that i should have known already? Chihiro shook the head. That doesn't make sense. I'm just learning this information today. While the teacher kept on with the subject, the informaation became less interesting. As if the more she learned, the less it seemed to click in her head. Besides her the girl muttered under her breath, "None of this is even true. Teaching lies"  


Chihiro stared for a second, startled. "'What do you mean? How would you know if all this is true or not?"  
The beautiful girl smiled. "If yuou excuse yourself from class i'll tell you. Meet me ooutside." she smiled before almost literally disapearing. In a faint whisper Chihiro jumped when she heard a feminine voice say, "You can call me Rin" Chihiro's brain clouded for a second. There was something about that name, and then like a lightswitch everything clicked.  


She snapped head to the doorway, hoping to catch a glimpse. "Your real..."


	2. homebound chapter 2

Homebound chapter 2

Tears sprung in Chihiro’s eyes. It couldn’t all be real. It couldn’t. Because that would mean, she really had to deal without those she called friends. Her family. The family she chose. Gasping out an excuse, Chihiro dumped everything in her bag without paying much attention to it, and ran from the room. “Please be real, please. I really hope I’m not just going crazy. Although it’s entirely possible.” 

“Chihiro I’m not really surprised you talk to yourself. You seem the type.” The familiar voice came from the right. 

Chihiro came to a screeching halt. To her right, leaning against the wall next to the door, was the beautiful girl. Rin. It really was her. The realization snapped into place like a rubberband. “Rin! It really is you. What could you possibly be doing here?” Rin grinned, and pulled Chihiro in for a tight hug. Rin still dwarfed Chihiro, which wasn’t surprising, considering Chihiro only grew to about five foot two. Chihiro had stayed short and small. 

“I needed to check up on you. Make sure you’re doing good. I can’t have my favorite human not doing ok.” Chihiro narrowed her eyes. Something was wrong. But she new trying to pull the information from Rin wouldn’t work out well. Rin liked to try to spare those she could from pain. Chihiro new that she would have to sneak the info from her. Trick her to release the information, she usually only stayed open with Haru. Chihiro ignored the flare of pain and sighed. 

”Rin, c’mon now. You know I’m a tough cookie. I can handle life just fine.” 

Rin gave a knowing smile. “Are you really sure about that? Because I’ve observed you. You don’t have friends. You don’t try to make any. You’re not lively anymore like you used to be. Less willing to just let things fall where they may and go with the flow. It’s like a piece of you has died.” 

My chest felt like it had a steel bar wrapped around it. “How long have you been watching me?” 

“A week or so.” 

“Rin, I’m fine. I’m doing just fine.” I tugged at the straps of my backpack and started walking towards the cafeteria. 

“But are you? And don’t lie to me, Chihiro. You know you can’t lie to me.” 

Rin was right. In the short time that i was with her in Kami, I couldn’t lie. She saw right through it every time. With that final though Chihiro says, “Ok. Ok. You’re right. I’m not ok. I haven’t been ok for twelve years. Since the second I stepped foot out of that gateway and l didn’t turn around, a big chunk of what had become my heart got ripped out.” Chihiro had tears streaming from her eyes. “But what I wanted didn’t matter right? It didn’t matter that I probably wasn’t ever gonna see any of you again. Because once I was out of the gate I didn’t matter to you!” 

Rin stared at me for a second. That hadn’t been Chihiro’s intention. Before she could force an apology out though, Rin wrapped Chihiro in a hug tighter than anyone has been able to give her for the last twelve years. Great body wrecking sobs tore from her throat. People were staring but Chihiro was beyond caring. She hadn’t let herself unlock and feel those emotions in so long. “Chihiro, oh no. No, no. that’s not what happened. I hope you’ll understand that. We care about you. After you left thing’s didn’t feel right. Like they were no longer complete. Like a small puzzle piece had been missing. Even Yubaba hasn’t been herself for years. It’s like she hates having you there to hate. I guess that fits Yubaba.” 

Chihiro giggled. After she gave herself a second for the tears and hiccups to slow, Chihiro spoke. “How is… everyone?” 

Rin sighed and grabbed a plate with chicken, potatoes and baked brussel sprouts. I grabbed the same and we sat down. “Um, actually that’s kind of part of why I am here. Normally I wouldn’t just give you free information, but I think this takes precedence.” Rin took a bite of chicken and potatoes before continuing. “Most of us are doing good. We miss you. But we are doing ok. Not all of us though. Haku is not doing ok. His river…it’s suffering, and it’s because he is suffering.” 

Confusion flashed across Chihiro’s face. “But I thought his river was destroyed. Did he get a new one? Or make one? How does that even work?” 

“In reality, it is a bit hard to do. But he managed to create a new path. There had been a small bit of the river left, enough for him to build off of and expand.” Rin put her silverware down “I came to get you. You know how you broke down? He needs that. But on a massive scale. He has not let himself feel absolutely anything for years. He is kind, and understanding as he has always been, but he shows no emotions. It’s like he locked himself away and refuses to let anyone in. I need your help Chi. I don’t know what else to do.” 

Chihiro observed Rin for a second. She looked forlorn. Sad and desperate. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. “Wait. Haku isn’t ok. And you came to…come get me. Wait. So I’m going home?” Hope flared. Then fear. Haru isn’t ok. “Ok. I’m going home. But when and how?” 

Rin eyes began to sparkle, that shine something that Chihiro didn’t realize was missing. “Oh. Im so glad. Um, I was actually hoping you would leave immediately. Like now.” 

Chihiro stopped, her brain not quite processing the fact that she might be going home. “Ok. Lets go. Lets go make Haru ok again.” Rin grinned widely. “Lets go home.”


	3. Homebound ch 3

Home bound chapter 3

I’m going home. That’s the only thought running through Chihiro’s brain. On repeat. I’m going home. I’m going home. I’m going home. The only other thought intruding is the curiosity of how n earth, or off, they were gonna get there. Chihiro had tried asking Rin But she just couldn’t get a straight answer out of her, which in reality should have made Chihiro pause. Rin was a straight forward person, so the hesitation should have enlisted fear. But the fear wasn’t great, and that was for many reasons. For one, Chihiro trusted Rin with her life. Also, Chihiro was never let down by Rin and became one of the many people she could rely on while she was in Kami. It also didn’t help that she felt at home there. As soon as she settled enough to not worry about dying, Chihiro felt at home there. Like she was a fish out of water. So yeah, maybe going back was for him. But a small part of Chihiro knew that if at the very least she had her friends around her, she would be fine. Eventually. 

Chihiro shook those thoughts from her head. No negative thoughts Chihiro. Not allowed. We will go home and make sure Haku is ok, and possibly convince them to let me stay. With this thought, Chihiro’s spirits rose again. Rin cleared her throat. “So we don’t actually have to go far. His river is nearby actually.” 

“What do you mean?” Chihiro thought back, to the day she found this college. She had been browsing schools online, trying to decide where to go when she saw this one. As soon as she saw the name and where the school was she had decided. There had been no questions asked. Chihiro had been accepted, packed up her things and moved without much more than a goodbye. It was a feeling that had drawn her there, a need to…..something. Chihiro never could figure out why it was like that. 

”Well its only a couple miles from campus. I just ride a bike around here. Everything is close by so a bike works. That’s actually how we are gonna get there.” Chihiro began to have a feeling about what she was going to have to do. 

“And you refuse to say what I need to do?” 

Finally they reached the river. It was actually quite beautiful. It was surrounded by a meadow, lush and green the stream wasn’t large, but it was crystal clear. Well almost. It somehow seemed faded. Like some of the fresh bright color had seeped out. 

Rin cleared her throat. “Chihiro, you can’t swim very well. Please forgive me. Please, don’t hate me.” Right then, Rin slammed into Chihiro and pushed her into the river. 

What Chihiro realized, was that the river was deeper than she thought. And she couldn’t make top from bottom, up from down. She was drowning. Rin I swear I’m gonna get you back for this. Only one other thought occurred before she blacked out. Haku. Please. I need you. …………………….. 

Chihiro woke up coughing up water everywhere. She didn’t care though, her lungs hurt, and she couldn’t breathe. 

“Chihiro. Chihiro are you ok? Please, be ok.” 

That voice. It was familiar to Chihiro, but not. Chihiro cleared her throat, which was a bad idea. It caused her throat to throb in pain. It took a second but Chihiro was able to get her eyes open. Why her whole body hurt, she couldn’t figure out but that thought flew from her mind as soon as her eyes locked on a pair hovering about her. Dark forest green eyes, beautiful and sharp, watched her with concern. These eyes were surrounded by a curtain of dark green hair, hair that had grown much longer since the last time she saw it. Haku. It was really him. He was here. “Am I dreaming?” The phrase was barely manageable, making her throat hurt. “Haku.” Tears streamed from her eyes. She kept her eyes closed as arms wrapped around her. She instantly cuddled into the warmth, the feeling that was both foreign and familiar. 

“Shh. It’s ok. I’ve got you.” And large hard brushed through her hair, slowly making the tears dissipate. Chihiro opened her eyes and finally took everything in. She couldn’t tell much about Haku besides having very firm muscles. Also that he had aged very nicely. The next thing her brain registered was the stone floor. She wasn’t in the meadow anymore. The plan had worked. She was home. But the problem was how much pain she was in. she just had to keep from speaking too much. Her body hurt, but she worked through worse. Chihiro tried to get up but Haku wasn’t having it. As soon as she tried to get up, he had slipped an arm under her legs and back and picked her up. All that came from Chihiro was a startled gasp. “If you think I’m going to let you walk, after you almost drowned, then I’m afraid the human world has made you insane. We will just have to fix that.” 

What was that supposed to mean? Fix it? That sounds like he cares. But that’s not how Rin described him. Did Rin trick me? Chihiro didn’t know how to feel about that. Annoyed? Also happy? Chihiro looked up at Haku. Happy. She felt happy. Chihiro was happy she was home. With that thought, Chihiros mind and body shut off, and Chihiro fell into a deep sleep. She’d deal with Rin when she woke up.


End file.
